I really don’t
know what else there is to say about this year. Like I said, it wasn’t exactly
a bad year, but it wasn’t a challenging one. Most of the music that came out
was fairly safe and didn’t really take any chances. Almost all of it sounded
like everything else on the radio. In all fairness, it wasn’t a boring year. I
did not feel like most of these songs left me feeling drained or tired from
listening to. So it at least has that in its favor, which places it above 1986
at least in terms of badness. I’d say this year gets three stars out of five as
far as ranking goes, so it’s about in the same position as 1969 and just above
2005.
On a more positive
note, while most of the songs I sorted through weren’t interesting, the ones I
actually did like definitely were. Surprisingly, a lot of the songs I sorted
through for the best list were actually ones I was already familiar with. I
guess that means that there’s a bit of a bias with putting this list together,
but that’s kind of the nature of these lists. Ultimately, when it gets down to
it, I’m just some guy on the Internet with his opinion, and you shouldn’t
necessarily take what I say as fact. That said, I would at least recommend
checking out all the songs I list on here, if for no other reason than the fact
that I think people might like them.
Speaking of which,
let’s cut the chitchat and get to the songs themselves, starting with the
honorable mentions:
Get Down On It (Kool & the Gang) [82;
10; 9 weeks]
As I said on the
worst list, this was the year where disco music was pretty much done. There
were still maybe two or three songs that managed to slip through the cracks,
but for the most part, this was the end of the genre for a while. That said, I
actually liked some of the songs that managed to obtain some chart success this
year. This one in particular is pretty nice and distinct, though ultimately a
bit too repetitive for me to completely buy into. I still think it’s a nice
song, I just don’t think I’d be able to continue jamming to it for hours on
end.
Body Language (Queen) [--; 11; 8 weeks]
Ah, Queen. Can’t
really go wrong with Queen, right? I know some people kind of prefer ‘70s Queen
to ‘80s Queen, but I still feel like all the elements they had that worked in
the ‘70s are still there to some degree. I mean they still have fantastic
harmonies and incredibly groovy guitar work. And, of course, Freddy Mercury is
a towering pillar of charisma like always. This song may sound a bit different
from their usual work, but it is still unmistakably Queen performing it.
Why Do Fools Fall In Love (Diana Ross) [54;
7; 5 weeks]
At this point, I
feel like it’s safe to call me a Diana Ross fan. I mean, this is, what, the
third time she’s appeared on one of these lists now? I just think she has
fantastic vocals, and all her songs just do everything to accentuate how good a
singer she is. Hell, this was into her third decade of hit making, and she
still sounds fantastic.
Eye Of the Tiger (Survivor) [2; 1; 18 weeks]
I actually didn’t
consider that I would be including this song on here. Much like ‘Jack and
Diane,’ this was a song I heard almost constantly at my previous job. However,
unlike that song, which I felt turned out to be crap even after time had placed
distance between it and me, I feel like this song has regained my favor now
that I’ve had some time away from it. And it’s not hard to see why; the
production is solid, the lyrics do a good job adding to the song’s atmosphere
and the vocals help push it over the top, especially during the chorus. Granted,
I feel like this is one of those songs everyone knows and everyone’s talked
about, so I’m not sure what else I could really add. Still, I think this is a
fantastic song, and if you haven’t heard it before, do yourself a favor and
rectify this.
Wake Up Little Susie (Simon & Garfunkel)
[--; 27; 6 weeks]
Oh, hello again,
Simon and Garfunkel! Fancy seeing you guys again! Sadly, the reunion that their
concert in 1981 seemed to suggest would happen didn’t end up happening. But
there was still at least one good thing that came out of it: this song. Simon
and Garfunkel are probably some of the few artists I’d say could actually pull
off a good acoustic guitar song. And, of course, their harmonies are as
fantastic as always.
And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going (Jennifer
Holiday) [--; 22; 7 weeks]
I admit, I’m not
sure why I actually like this song as much as I do. I mean, when Whitney
Houston does songs like this I usually just find it uninteresting, and I even
actually hate some of her ballads. This, however? I just think this is powerful
and wonderful. It’s just this incredible declaration of one’s love, devotion
and defiance. Jennifer Holiday just kills this performance, and that’s really
all I can say about it.
Paperlate (Genesis) [--; 32; 5 weeks]
I feel like Phil
Collins gets a bit too much flack as a performer. I really don’t think he’s
that bad. His vocals are decent enough, and when he’s on his ‘A’ game, he can
write some pretty great songs. I wouldn’t call this Genesis’s best song, but it
was still a refreshing change from most of the music from 1982. And,
apparently, that’s Earth, Wind and Fire performing the horns section on this
song. And that really helps push the song over the edge for me. Speaking of
Earth, Wind and Fire…
Let’s Groove (Earth, Wind & Fire) [33;
3; 8 weeks]
Remember how I
said I actually liked the disco songs that managed to slip under the radar for
this year? I just love the horns section on this song, and the chorus as well.
I can’t understand for the life of me what people hate about this genre; it’s
just fun and wonderful and funky. And I’m glad that the genre managed to
resurface in more recent years.
Valley Girl (Frank Zappa ft. Moon Unit
Zappa) [--; 32; 3 weeks]
Yeah, I feel like
this kind of makes me a bit of a hypocrite, considering I was criticizing Bob
and Doug McKenzie for playing off of stereotypes while also saying I like this
song, which does pretty much that also. Still, I’d take this over ‘Take Off’
any day of the week. Not only is it a funnier song, it’s also a much better
song. This actually feels like a complete song and not like a bunch of morons
making asses of themselves over a microphone.
Now then, let me
take it away, want to hear you play. We’re counting down…
…THE TOP 10 BEST HIT SONGS OF 1982!
#10.
Let’s
take a moment to talk about Australian music. Yes, once again, we’re going to
be looking at music from the outback. I was pretty harsh on the song ‘What
About Me’ by Moving Pictures back on the worst list, and I feel like that gave
the impression that I don’t like Australian music. I admit, I don’t really have
a reference for how many artists or bands actually originate from there, but I
can say right now that I don’t hate all music from there. And here’s my
evidence to prove it:
#10. Down Under (Men At Work) [--; 8; 6
weeks]
I
admit, since I haven’t really read up about a lot of Australian artists, I
can’t really say for certain what constitutes Australian music. However, I feel
like it would be hard to find a song more…well, identifiably Australian than
this one. This actually went on to be a #1 hit the following year, making it
Men At Work’s second after their debut hit single ‘Who Can It Be Now?’ I like
that song also, but I would argue that ‘Down Under’ is probably the better song
between the two.
To
understand why I like this song, I’ll need to compare it to ‘Take Off,’ from my
worst list. That song tried to make fun of the stereotypes associated with the
performers’ home country of Canada. However, that song was obnoxious and forgot
to actually be a good song on top of its attempts at social commentary. And
that’s assuming you’re giving the song enough credit to assume it was trying to
be social commentary. ‘Down Under,’ on the other hand, rather than mock others’
views of Men At Work’s home country of Australia, instead celebrates its
culture, though not in the sense of waving a flag or being super nationalistic
about it, and comments on, as front man Colin Hay put it, “the selling of
Australia in many ways, the overdevelopment of the country.” The verses also
make use of cultural slang, such as the line “Where the beer does flow and men
chunder.” ‘Chunder’ is an Australian slang term for ‘vomit.’ Charming.
What
about the music though? Well, for the most part, it’s just standard soft rock
music, but there is one element that really stands out: the flute section. That
flute is what really makes this song stand out, and it is a welcome addition.
In fact, a little of the cultural influence was in the flute section also, with
the melody being based around the Australian children’s rhyme ‘Kookaburra.’
Unfortunately, this also kind of led to a copyright lawsuit against the band by
Larrikin Music, who owned the rights to the song in 2008, the year that the
similarities between the two songs were realized. Apparently up until this
court case, ‘Kookaburra’ was believed to be within the public domain, both due
to its standing as a traditional song and the lack of visible policing of the
song’s rights by its composer and writer, Marion Sinclair, who died in 1988.
Ultimately, Men At Work ended up losing the court case, though were only
required to pay Larrikin Music 5% of royalties dating as far back as 2002.
It’s
rare to find a song that celebrates itself in this manner. So I guess, in a
way, it’s actually kind of refreshing to hear something like this. Most songs
that do so are kind of in-your-face about their national pride or are…well,
‘Take Off’ by Bob and Doug McKenzie. This is a nice middle ground: showing
appreciation for one’s home country while also lamenting its present state.
There were better songs than this one that came out this year, but I don’t know
if I’d find any songs that match this song’s particular flavor of interesting.
It’s a fine song, and I’m perfectly fine celebrating it even while
acknowledging the unfortunate history associated with it.
#9.
On the worst list,
I talked about how a lot of bands and artists of the ‘70s weren’t able to
survive the transition into the ‘80s. This next artist, however, is one who not
only survived, but thrived in the ‘80s.
#9. Pressure (Billy Joel) [--; 20; 8 weeks]
This was actually
the lead single off of Billy Joel’s ‘The Nylon Curtain’ album, which he has
gone on record as calling one of his favorites. He even went so far as to call
it “the recording I’m most proud of and the material I’m most proud of.”
Considering this was the first impression people got from the music of this
album, I can definitely see why he would say that. Most people would probably
argue that ‘Allentown’ is the better of the two hit singles this album spawned,
but personally I kind of find it not that interesting. I’m not saying it’s a
bad song, but it just doesn’t have the bombast and fanfare that ‘Pressure’ has.
I realize that probably wasn’t what it was supposed to be going for, but where
‘Allentown’ was all somber and down-to-Earth, ‘Pressure’ is loud, rambunctious
and explosive.
Rather than sit
here and compare the two singles, however, I think it’d be best if I just focus
on the one. First of all, let’s start with what hits you right at the start of
the song, that synthesizer. That drives the song, and aw man, does it do a
glorious job at doing so, folks. Listening to it in the background, especially
right at the end of the chorus, is kind of chilling. In fact, it almost steals
the show from poor Billy Joel, whose performance is just gut wrenching, going
from calm and relaxed during his verses to tense and practically screaming
during each iteration of the chorus. He seriously does sound like he’s under
all the pressure this song is describing to the listener.
Speaking of
descriptions, let’s look at the lyrics. Normally, Billy Joel is known for
telling stories through his songs, with some examples being ‘Scenes From an
Italian Restaurant’ and ‘Piano Man.’ ‘Pressure,’ however, is less like a story
and more like a man’s psychological breakdown. Apparently, this song was
created based on the stress Joel went through when writing this song. And I’m
not just talking about just writer’s block, though from what I’ve read that was
part of it also. This was pressure coming from everything around him, from
making rent for his apartment to the simple act of feeding himself. According
to what he said in an interview, the idea for the song came when his secretary
came to his house while he was struggling with writer’s block and she commented
that he looked like he was under a lot of pressure, and that maybe that would
be a good idea for a song. Kind of cliché as far as inspiration for ideas goes,
but what are you gonna do? Anyway, the lyrics themselves describe how pressure
is inescapable, how people don’t generally offer any good advice for dealing
with it, instead getting childish suggestions from people, like out of Sesame Street or Peter Pan, both of which the song makes references to.
Would I say that
this is one of Billy Joel’s best songs? Well, no, probably not. Would I still
say it’s at least one of the better songs that came out this year? Oh, most
definitely. This is still a fantastic song, and I feel no pressure about including
it on this list.
#8.
Now, while Billy
Joel wouldn’t see that much success during this year, there is one band that
saw something of a spike in success during this time. Well, okay, there were a
bunch that saw greater success during this period, but the one that I’m going
to focus on specifically is a band I haven’t really seen or heard people
talking about all that much, despite their success. Even some of my friends
that are big into ‘80s music haven’t really talked about this group, and that shocks
me, because this is probably one of the great power duos of their time, much
like Simon and Garfunkel, the Eurythmics and Wham! I am, of course, referring
to Daryl Hall and John Oates, or as they’re more commonly known, Hall and
Oates.
#8. I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) (Daryl
Hall & John Oates) [15; 1; 12 weeks]
As it happens,
1980 through 1985 was a pretty successful time period for Hall and Oates. Over
the course of four studio albums, each one managed to have at least one #1 hit
single, and three of these albums ended up peaking in the top 10 on the
Billboard 200. Apparently, starting in 1980, the pair had decided to change
their sound so that it captured the sound of New York City, where they had
started living. They also started producing their own recordings since they
believed their previous works had been filtered through outside producers and
the studio musicians they were working with weren’t familiar with their tastes
and thoughts. They also started a working relationship with Neil Kernon, who
would help coproduce their ‘Voices’ and ‘Private Eyes’ albums. This single came
off of the latter of the two, and it is probably their best single of the time.
Over the course of
their tenure, Hall and Oates have managed a total of six #1 hit songs. This
song ended up being their fourth, and probably their best. And really, there’s
one simple reason for that: the production. Even just the beginning of the song
is just this series of layered keyboard touches, building one on top of
another. It creates a really incredible atmosphere that I don’t think I really
heard many songs being able to match through this entire year, even some of the
songs higher up on this list. And, of course, there’s the saxophone line, which
is surprisingly powerful for a song like this. Most people are turned off by
the soft rock genre, but I feel like this song would win even the naysayers
over.
If there were one
problem I’d have with the song, however, it would have to be the lyrics and
subject matter. The song’s basically about a guy that, up until this point, has
been in a no-strings-attached, sexual relationship with the person being
addressed in the song. However, she wants him to actually man up and commit to
a real relationship, and he’s apparently not too happy about having to do that.
He claims that she has his body and now she wants his soul. Now, I can
understand not being ready to commit to a full relationship if you’re feeling
nervous about progressing things too fast. However, they’re already at sex, so
I don’t see what possible reservations this narrator could have about this,
barring the possibility that he is, in fact, a complete douche bag. I’m not
saying Daryl Hall or John Oates are douche bags, just the character being
portrayed in this song. Now, the lyrics to this song aren’t enough to ruin it
for me completely. However, I would be lying if I said they weren’t part of the
reason this song didn’t place higher on this list.
Daryl Hall and
John Oates would still see some success after this song, and would even
continue having hits for the rest of the ‘80s. However, by the ‘90s their hit
making power would pretty much dry out. Going through their material by that
point, however, it’s not too hard to see why. The two just weren’t able to keep
up with the shifting trends and got left behind. Still, when these two were at
their peak, they were probably one of the most significant acts of their time.
And this song is a brilliant showcase of the pair’s potential as a musical act.
And, you know what? I can go for
that.
#7.
There are times in
our lives when we see stars shining high in the sky. These stars help make the
world a more beautiful place to be in. However, when these stars go out, when
their light fades from the sky, it leaves a bitter, hollow emptiness that, no
matter how others might try, just can’t be filled the same way again. However,
there is always the comfort in knowing that others of their kind will join such
stars wherever they disappear to. And for this next entry on the list, I’m
going to be looking at two such stars that have left us: one from quite a while
ago, and another more recently.
#7. Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie)
[--; 29; 5 weeks]
As it happens,
Billy Joel wasn’t the only artist this year that was…Under Pressure.
…Yeah, I realize
that was a terrible pun.
I don’t think I’m
shocking anyone when I say I like both Queen and David Bowie. ‘Labyrinth’ was
one of the movies I remembered fondly after watching it growing up, and Queen
were one of the first bands from the ‘70s I was ever introduced to. So, it
really should come as a surprise to no one that I would like a song where the
two collaborated. Now, I’m sure many of you will make the argument that this
song shouldn’t count for this list, since it was released in 1981. To those people,
I simply have to say, “Shut up; it’s fucking Queen and David Bowie! Your
argument is invalid!” Besides, while the song was released in 1981, it didn’t
peak until 1982, so I’m counting it.
However, I’m sure
many of you are already at least somewhat familiar with this song; it’s pretty
iconic. And even if you’re not, you’re most likely familiar with Vanilla Ice’s
infinitely inferior ‘Ice Ice Baby,’ which sampled (i.e. stole) this song’s bass
line. And I can understand why he would choose to use this particular sample;
it is a powerful base to build the song off of. Although, there’s apparently a
bit of confusion regarding where it originated from, with some of the
interviews indicating that John Deacon was the one that made the riff while
Deacon himself claimed it was created by Bowie. In one interview for the BBC
Documentary Queen: the Days of Our Lives,
however, Roger Taylor stated that the bass line was created by Deacon, who had
been playing it over and over during their sessions in the studio. However,
after leaving and returning from dinner, Deacon forgot the riff, and Taylor
changed it. But according to Brian May, Bowie was the one that changed it, not
Taylor. I really wish I knew who should be taking credit for creating the riff,
because it really is a fantastic foundation for the song to stand on.
Interestingly
enough, this song was actually the result of a jam session between the two
acts. The scat singing is a clear sign of how the song initially started out as
improvisation. Speaking of the singing, let’s look at that for a moment. You
probably wouldn’t think that Freddy Mercury’s falsetto voice would blend well
with Bowie’s much deeper vocals, but the way they’re executed demonstrates a
surprising level of balance. Neither vocal performance really dominates the
song; they do a decent job sharing the stage, as it were. And that’s even
apparent in their lyrical delivery, with Mercury performing the verses, Bowie
singing the chorus and bridge, and the two singing the ending of the song
together.
I admit, this song
partially got on the list through a bit of a bias because it is probably the
first song by Queen I can remember hearing. Yes, I even remember hearing this
song before I ever heard ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ While I wouldn’t say this is the
best song by either Queen or David Bowie, it is still a nice demonstration of
the incredible music these two acts were capable of. Godspeed Freddy Mercury
and David Bowie. May the two of you continue to rock across the stars in the
afterlife.
#6.
So, a friend of
mine is really big into rock and metal music, with some of his favorite acts
being female-fronted rock or metal bands. He has introduced me to quite a few
of them, such as Lacuna Coil and Delain. However, there’s one particular group
he introduced me to that I’m going to be focusing on today: the Runaways. The
Runaways were one of the first all-female rock bands of their time, and saw
some decent success. I mean, okay; they didn’t achieve a single Billboard top
40 hit song in their tenure, but they still made a name for themselves, and
managed to become really popular in Japan. Sadly, they didn’t last for very
long, partially because of disagreement between the members regarding the
direction they wanted to take the band, with the group officially breaking up
in April 1979.
Of course, it
wasn’t all bad news. After all, at least one member of the band went on to
achieve much greater success with her solo career, and that eventually led to
her releasing this:
#6. I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll (Joan Jett &
the Blackhearts) [3; 1; 16 weeks]
Joan Jett and the
Blackhearts actually had three hits this year, all of them covers. Most
unfortunately, one of these covers happened to be of the atrocious mess of a
song ‘Crimson and Clover,’ which I covered on my ‘worst of ‘69’ list. On the
positive side, their cover is still an improvement, in that it sounds less
boring and the ending doesn’t sound like part of the soundtrack to a horror
film. However, their other two covers were still better than that. Ultimately
though, when it boiled down to choosing between ‘I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll’ and ‘Do
You Wanna Touch Me,’ I decided that this song was the superior of the two,
partially because it was just the more iconic song.
As I said, “I Love
Rock ‘n’ Roll’ is actually a cover, with the original version being performed
by the band the Arrows. Going back and listening to the original, I can kind of
understand why Joan Jett would want to cover this song; it’s punky, it’s rock,
but honestly I feel like the Arrows version was still kind of lacking. It
wasn’t bad by any stretch; it just wasn’t as powerful as it could have been. It
is worth noting, however, that she actually originally recorded her first cover
of the song in 1979 with Steve Jones and Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols. And it was
originally released as a B-side to the song ‘You Don’t Own Me.’ Again, this
particular cover wasn’t bad, but…I dunno, I guess I kind of felt a lack of
chemistry between Joan Jett and the musicians she was performing with. The 1981
cover however…Oh man, is it glorious. It has all the energy and chemistry that
were missing from the first two versions. Joan Jett really did a great job
taking another act’s song and really owning it.
The way the lyrics
are structured is fairly interesting also, since the chorus is written as a
separate entity from the verses. Arrows member Alan Merrill, who originally
wrote the song, stated that he had the chorus in mind, and that it sounded like
a hit. So he decided to write it separate from the verses, giving the
impression that the chorus is playing out of a jukebox, being the chorus to a
hit song, while the two kids being discussed in the verses are hearing it.
Specifically, he stated that he thought it would be like something out of The Twilight Zone, since he was
convinced the song would be a hit, which would have made the chorus a hit
within a hit. This didn’t end up happening for the Arrows, but Joan Jett’s
success with the song caused that Twilight
Zone concept to be realized, effectively making it a hit song about a couple
of kids flirting with each other while listening to a jukebox playing a hit
song.
Some of the
female-fronted rock or metal acts my friend has introduced me to seem to try to
toe the line between being pretty while being hard core at the same time. I feel
like it can be kind of hit or miss with a lot of them, with some not pushing
themselves hard enough to sound hard core or others pushing too hard and not
really presenting the pretty sound they were going for. This song, however,
doesn’t even try to sound pretty. And really even if Joan Jett were to try and
make herself sound pretty, I wouldn’t really buy it. She sort of tried that
with her cover of ‘Crimson and Clover,’ and that really didn’t work. Though,
admittedly, part of that could be because she was working with a song that was
awful to begin with. ‘I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ however, is just a fun,
rock-out-with-your-cock-out tune that I completely believe coming from her. I’m
more than happy to put another dime in the jukebox if that jukebox is playing
this tune.
#5.
A few years ago, I
was seeing someone, and this person actually ended up introducing me to a
number of bands and artists, mostly from the ‘70s and ‘80s, but also at least
one that’s around today: Peter Gabriel, Steely Dan, Janelle Monae, Kenny
Loggins, just to name a few. But I think it’s interesting that the main songs I
remember this person introducing me to happen to be either songs about break
ups or songs about relationships having ended. Kind of makes me wonder what
that says about our relationship. Anyway, this next song is an example of such,
and has become a song that I so thoroughly associate with the person that
introduced me to it that I always imagine the song being told from my
perspective to this person.
#5. I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re
Near) (Michael McDonald) [81; 4; 13 weeks]
Many bands from
the ‘70s made the shift towards soft rock in the ‘80s to try and match the
sound that was popular at the time. This was the case with Chicago, it ended up
being the case with Toto by 1986 and it also happened to another American rock
band: the Doobie Brothers. A band changing direction is kind of a risky move
since, while it might invite in a new audience, it also runs the risk of
alienating the band from their former fan base. Such was the risk the Doobie
Brothers took when they replaced their primary songwriter and lead singer Tom
Johnston, who health was deteriorating from the band’s constant touring, with
Steely Dan alumni Michael McDonald. With McDonald’s addition, the group moved
away from their electric-guitar-based rock sound and more towards soft rock and
blue-eyed soul. Honestly though, I didn’t actually mind that many of the songs
the band released in the years Michael McDonald was the band’s front man. Don’t
get me wrong; I do prefer their pre-1976 music, but I don’t really have
anything against McDonald taking over as the lead singer. It’s kind of like
complaining about Phil Collins taking over as the lead singer of Genesis when
Peter Gabriel left. The two artists had different styles and they were just
going with what they were most comfortable with.
Okay, the material
McDonald made when he was with the Doobie Brothers is one thing, but what about
the material he made as a solo artist? Well, this song is the first from his
solo career, so this is the first impression I had of the guy when I first
heard him. And I honestly just love this song, despite its kind of depressing
subject matter. I mean, McDonald’s vocals just sound like he’s in turmoil over
this relationship he’s singing about that didn’t work out. And that kind of
struggle of lingering feelings for someone despite a failed romance is
something I can understand. Failed relationships are painful, and sometimes,
even after things ended and it’s clear it wouldn’t have worked out anyway, you
still have feelings for the other person that just won’t go away. And the
vocals are interspersed with some pretty smooth sounding instrumentation. It
sounds laid back and relaxed at first, but when McDonald brings in his vocals,
it adds a layer of emotional pain, and that continues throughout the song.
Sadly, Michael
McDonald wouldn’t see much further success with his solo career after this
song. He would manage another four top 40 hits after this song, two of which
were duets. After around 1986, however, his chart success was pretty much over.
However, I’m glad we at least got this song as a hit. This is just a great
song, and I don’t think I’m going to forget it anytime soon.
#4.
I’m not sure if
this is a common thing for people to assume or generalize, but I just want to
make the point that not all music from Canada is bad. Yeah, acts like Justin
Bieber and Nickelback bleed over to the US from up north, and yes the #2 song
on the worst list for this year originated from there also, but that isn’t a
proper scope of Canadian music. In fact, you know what? I’m going to make it my
goal to prove to people that there is good Canadian music out there. And I
guess you can consider the next song here exhibit ‘A’ in terms of my defense of
Canadian music.
#4. Working For the Weekend (Loverboy) [96;
29; 8 weeks]
Loverboy are kind
of an anomaly on this list since, unlike most of the other artists on here,
they don’t really have the same kind of legacy behind them that most of the other
acts on this list have. I mean, the members of the band were never part of any
other big, significant acts at the time; they never achieved a #1 hit in
America; even people from their native country of Canada don’t seem to know any
of the individual members of the band by name, from what I can tell. And it’s
kind of a shame that I have to put it that way, because Loverboy are actually a
pretty decent band. Maybe their problem was that they sounded too similar to
every other rock band that was out at the time. I mean, they used quite a bit
of synth, they had a bit of a cheese factor to them and they were fairly
watered down for hard rock, or even just regular rock. ‘Turn Me Loose’ was
their first hit single, and it’s clear to see why; it had bombast behind it and
it sold the band as this powerhouse of a group which they, sadly, didn’t really
end up matching on their next two singles off of their self-titled debut album,
which sold over one million records in Canada alone in the summer of 1980. And
that baffles me because that first single was easily the best of the three and
it didn’t even make it into the top 20.
However, with the
release of their second album, ‘Get Lucky,’ the album’s lead single managed to
capture the same kind of sound from their first album’s lead single. In fact,
in a way, I feel like this song is actually a significant improvement on ‘Turn
Me Loose.’ I mean, it’s a lot catchier for starters; that melody just sticks in
the brain. For another, the song has a bit more studio polish to it and the
vocals sound a lot crisper and clearer. And, of course, there’s the chorus,
which demonstrates excellent harmonies and powerful vocal deliveries. This is
just the kind of song I’d imagine someone being able to work out to, you know?
I mean, I wouldn’t know myself; you people that actually do work out would have
to confirm that for me.
What’s kind of
baffling about the song, however, is where the inspiration for it came from.
Apparently it originated from a walk one afternoon taken by the band’s
guitarist Paul Dean, who was trying to find inspiration for his songwriting.
Since most people were at work at the time, and it was a weekday, the place was
deserted. So, he figured that everyone was “waiting for the weekend,” as he put
it. The band’s vocalist, Mike Reno, later suggested that the phrase be changed
to “working for the weekend.” Not
exactly the most inspired idea for a song, but hey, they were able to make a
song like this out of it, so there was obviously something to be taken from it.
Admittedly, the song’s not exactly all that impressive lyrically, but it’s
honestly not really trying to be. The lyrics are pretty much there because they
sound good paired up with the music. And I can’t really hold that against the
song or the band.
Now, I don’t want
to hype up Loverboy as a band too much. They aren’t a great act, but they
certainly are a good one. They’re certainly better than most of the other bands
that didn’t really tickle my interest from this year. And if this doesn’t
convince you that Canada is, or at least was, capable of creating good
music…well, then I guess I’ll need to go looking up other Canadian acts to add
additional evidence to confirm it.
#3.
…Oh hi Peter
Gabriel! Fancy seeing you appearing on another one of my lists!
#3. Shock the Monkey (Peter Gabriel) [--;
35; 5 weeks]
Having now
listened through a good portion of Peter Gabriel’s music now, I think I can
safely make the following observation: the man has an unhealthy obsession with
his own dick. Seriously, between songs like ‘Big Time’ and ‘Sledgehammer,’ I
feel like I’m being assaulted with phalluses when I listen to his music
sometimes. In fact, Peter Gabriel’s dick-centric music just makes me beg the
question: is he secretly a furry or something? I mean, I don’t want to make the
generalization that all furries have dick on their minds, but…well, it does
seem to be a common theme with some of them. Anyway, I think I’m going to drop
this subject and get back to the song before I dig this hole any deeper.
I suppose it’s
kind of interesting that the song I chose for this list is one where Gabriel
actually decided to focus on something else. In fact, this was the first song
he released that was a hit in America, even taking into account his work with
Genesis. Apparently people often assume the song’s theme is about animal rights
or a reference to experiments by Stanley Milgram as described in his book
‘Obedience to Authority,’ both of which Peter Gabriel has denied. Rather, the
‘monkey’ being described in the song is meant to be a metaphor for one’s
feelings of jealousy, with the song itself being a love song about how jealousy
can release one’s basic instincts. Kind of a bizarre metaphor to use there, but
I guess odd symbolism and outside-the-box thinking should be expected from
someone as theatrical and showy as Peter Gabriel.
And, of course,
the music to this song is fantastic. As is generally the case with Peter
Gabriel’s music, the production is spot-on for this song. It, like all of the
songs on his fourth self-titled album, consists of predominantly electronic
instrumentation. And folks, it is used incredibly well. In contrast to the
instrumentation to other songs I’ve talked about, such as, say, ‘Hard To Say
I’m Sorry,’ the music here is powerful and driving. It swells and dips at all
the right points in the song. I don’t think I could think of a rock song that
used its instrumentation better from this year. Well, okay, maybe one, but
we’ll be getting to that later.
So yeah, this was
the song that finally got Peter Gabriel a hit. It didn’t make it into the top
40; that wouldn’t happen for another four years, with the release of
‘Sledgehammer.’ Although, it wasn’t nearly as big a hit in the UK, where it
didn’t even make it into the top 50. The pop charts make no sense to me. Maybe
people felt like this was a sell out move; I mean, his prior material was
predominantly played on real instruments, while the music here is mostly
electronic, and this song, rather than singing about things like protesting
against war, is a love song, a more common subject matter in pop music.
However, even if this is Peter Gabriel’s big ‘sell out’ move; I don’t feel like
that weakens how good the song is. Besides, Peter Gabriel’s always been
something of an experimental artist, and trying out a pop sound would still be
keeping true to that. There have been other rock acts that have taken cues from
pop music to experiment with their sound. And on that note…
#2.
1982 and 1983 were
pretty big years for the band Toto. With the release of their fourth album, the
band saw what would be the peak in their commercial success. This album, titled
‘Toto IV,’ would be seeing the group earning four top 40 hits, three of which
would peak in the top 10. Now, of the three top 10 hits the album would
produce, there are only two of them that people seem to remember, and as you
might’ve guessed, we’re going to be focusing on one of them right now.
#2. Rosanna (Toto) [14; 2; 18 weeks]
I feel like Toto
would fall into a similar category of band to Queen, at least in their early
years: they were at their strongest when taking advantage of their excellent
harmonies. Those aren’t really as prominent on this song, so I wouldn’t really
call it their best work. However, I still like the song even if the band’s
greatest elements aren’t really on full display here. As it happens, Toto are
yet another band that my ex introduced me to. Again though, considering this is
a song about a failed relationship, I feel like that kind of says some
depressing things about our relationship.
Now, as I just
said, the lyrics of the song talk about a failed relationship. A common
misconception about the song is that it is about Rosanna Arquette, who was
dating the band’s keyboard player Steve Porcaro at the time and coincidentally
had the same name. However, this is not the case, as David Paich, the band’s
keyboardist, was the one that penned the song, taking inspiration from numerous
girls he’d known. The song itself talks about how the narrator was in a
relationship with the titular Rosanna, but she had higher standards than he
could provide, and worse, he was kind of an underachiever. He laments the fact
that things fell apart between them, still thinking about the walls that came
between them and at least trying to offer up some positivity by stating that,
now that things have ended between them, Rosanna will no longer need to
compromise. However, as the song gets to the chorus, the narrator practically
screams the statement, “Meet you all the way.” This could be interpreted as
meaning that, rather than meeting Rosanna halfway, he has decided that he will
fully commit himself to meeting her expectations from now on. Though,
considering the pain clearly in the narrator’s voice, chances are he could just
be saying it as a last desperate act to convince himself that things could work
out between the two of them. This feels less like a love song and more like a
tragic, failed romance that wouldn’t have worked out regardless.
And that leaves us
with the music, and where better to start than the drums? The drum pattern for
this song is called a ‘half-time shuffle,’ a style of performance in half-time
that mainly crops up in jazz-influenced music. Specifically, Jeff Pocaro, the
band’s drummer, referred to the shuffle used here as a combination of the
‘Bernard Purdie half-time shuffle,’ and a variation of the Bo Diddley beat John
Bonham played on ‘Fool In the Rain.’ Bernard Purdie is an American groove
drummer and is considered a major influence of funk music. John Bonham was the
drummer of Led Zeppelin, often considered one of the greatest rock drummers.
The Bo Diddley beat is kind of a syncopated five-accent clave rhythm named
after Bo Diddley, a rhythm and blues musician that introduced and popularized
the beat. All this comes together to form an excellent drum part on this song: somewhat
complex, while still being fun to groove along to. Add to that the excellent
instrumentation from the rest of the band, including a horn section that comes
in during the chorus, and some impressively layered harmonies, and you have a
masterful presentation of grooving ‘80s soft rock.
If Chicago’s ‘Hard
To Say I’m Sorry’ and Peter Cetera’s ‘Glory Of Love’ were ‘80s soft rock done
wrong, Toto’s ‘Rosanna’ is ‘80s soft rock done right. This song is just a
perfect showcase of how soft rock music can not only…well, rock, but also have
plenty of groove to go along with it. And yet, despite all of this, this song
was still only #2 on this list. What could possibly be better than this? Well…
#1.
For the last two
best lists I’ve put together, I really struggled with picking the song that
would go on to be my #1 for the list. For 1969, I nearly lost sleep choosing
between Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘The Boxer’ and Crosby, Stills and Nash’s ‘Suite:
Judy Blue Eyes.’ For my ‘best of 2005’ list, I was almost certain that ‘Feel
Good Inc.’ would be the #1, but ultimately surprised myself with the number of
other songs I liked more than it. I guess what I’m trying to say with this is
that, sometimes when I put these lists together, choosing the song that I liked
most out of the year can be kind of a challenge.
That was not the
case for this year though. When I put this list together and saw that this next
song charted this year, I knew instantly it was going on the list. It’s
certainly my favorite song by the band in question, and possibly even one of my
favorite hit songs of the ‘80s. But what act could such a song as this possibly
have come from? Queen? The Rolling Stones? Van Halen? The Police? Journey?
Well, no on all counts.
#1. Africa (Toto) [--; 14; 7 weeks]
Toto’s ‘Africa’
was my first introduction to the band, and I feel like it set some pretty high
standards for me regarding the kind of music they created. It’s their only #1
song, and easily one of their best songs period. The first time I ever heard of
this song was on Bennett the Sage’s ‘Top 20 Best #1 Hit Songs’ list, and I’m
honestly surprised he placed it as low as he did, because I feel like this song
is just fantastic in every way. I admit I’m kind of struggling to find the
proper words to describe just how great this song is. However, I will at least
try to sort through the information I have and hope that that will be enough.
I guess I should
start by talking about the song’s background. David Paich wrote the song, stating
that the idea behind the song was, “a boy is trying to write a song on Africa,
but since he’s never been there, he can only tell what he’s seen on TV or
remembers in the past.” So, it’s basically a song about a guy’s love of the
continent of Africa rather than just a song about a love story. That’s
reflected in the lyrics, especially during the chorus, with the line ‘I bless
the rains down in Africa’ being especially prominent in the song, to the point
that the line is repeated several times in the final chorus.
Regarding the
verses, however, the first verse talks about the narrator hearing what are
presumably African drums in his sleep, and how his lover is meeting him,
presumably, to take him towards some form of salvation, presumably from the
sense of longing he feels for the continent. Before her arrival, the narrator
meets an old man seeking to hear some form of wisdom or understanding from him.
The old man in question, however, merely gives him a look that seems to say he
must hurry on his way for something or someone is waiting for him. This seems
to indicate that the man in question has a sense of desperate longing to
experience the continent of Africa, a feeling he wishes to satisfy with the
wisdom he believes the old man can provide. However, the old man’s response is,
in its own way, telling the boy that he’ll need to find the answers on his own.
The second verse
uses various forms of vaguely African-themed imagery to describe the turmoil
the narrator is going through, presumably in his quest to find the wisdom and
understanding of the continent of Africa he seeks. For example, he describes
himself as a wild dog, crying out in the night, restless with a longing for the
company of others. He also talks about how, when he is presented with a choice
at some point in his future, he’ll need to make the decision he knows is right,
and he’s as certain of this as Mt. Kilimanjaro rising above the Serengeti.
Admittedly, Mt. Kilimanjaro is about a hundred miles away from the Serengeti,
but it is still at a higher elevation, so that statement isn’t entirely
inaccurate. However, the final line of the verse states that the narrator seeks
to cure something that’s deep inside of him, and that he’s afraid of what it’s
turned him into. Ultimately, however, at the bridge before the final chorus,
the phrase “Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you” is uttered. This seems to
indicate that the boy in question has ultimately made his decision: to stay
with his lover and leave the continent of Africa behind him. This story feels
kind of tragic in a way, since the boy in question ultimately decides to
abandon his dreams in favor of staying with the one he loves.
But anyway, let’s
move on to where the song really shines: the music. This song apparently took
quite a while for the band to put together. Some of the instruments you hear on
the song were actually done using a GS 1 digital stage piano. The main melody
you hear of the song is played on a Yamaha CS-80, and despite some of the
seemingly acoustic-sounding instruments on the song actually being digital,
it’s still able to create the feel of a tribal song combined with Toto’s normal
sound. The band even brought in American freelance percussionist Lenny Castro
to perform the congas and Jeff and Steve Porcaro’s father Joe played marimbas.
It even features an impressive synthesizer solo during the bridge of the song. However,
the verses basically exist in this song to build up to the chorus, which
features amazing harmonies from the group, with Bobby Kimball keeping the song
anchored in place with the main melody. Seriously, the band’s decision to fire
this guy was a huge mistake on their part in my opinion. Although, apparently
he briefly rejoined the group from 1998 to 2008, so they at least had that.
From what I’ve
heard, this song marked a significant change in the sound of pop music at the
time. I mean there’s a noticeable difference between this song and ‘Rosanna.’
And while I love both songs, it’s this one that comes out on top for me. And
honestly, I wouldn’t have any objections if this song were the one that
represented the shift in pop music between 1982 and 1983, with the latter being
considered one of the greatest years in pop music history. I really hope I get
to cover 1983 at some point. Until then, I’ll take this song and eagerly await
the day when I get to hear just how much of an impact it had on pop music since
then. So there you have it folks: ‘Africa’ by Toto, my choice for the best hit
song of 1982.
